Adolescence is so much more than Netflix’s latest hit miniseries. A technical masterpiece that impossibly presents each of its four episodes in one take and features gut-wrenching performances from a talented main cast, the latest work by show creators Stephen Graham and Jack Thorne ultimately feels like a four-hour diagnosis of the darkness plaguing contemporary childhood in the digital age. The series serves as a phenomenal showcase for Graham, who excels not only behind the camera but also in front of it, and aside from its practical accomplishments, Adolescence also unpacks one of the most important issues facing the world today with its heartbreaking depiction of modern misogyny and violent masculinity.

For those unaware of the series’ general plot, Adolescence begins with a police raid that leads to the early-morning arrest of 13-year-old boy Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper), who is subsequently suspected in the stabbing death of his female classmate, Katie (Emilia Holliday). The series spends less time dwelling on Jamie’s guilt than it does investigating the motivation behind Katie’s seemingly senseless death, using its one-shots to deliver comprehensive examinations of various settings relevant both to Katie’s case and a problem with toxic boyhood that becomes readily more apparent. Each of these episodes is bone-chilling in its own way, but the hardest part of Adolescence to watch is its ending. More specifically, the miniseries’ final scene perfectly encapsulates the show’s compelling depiction of grief, interrogation of gender norms, and hope for the future of society.

’Adolescence’s Final Scene Is Also the Show’s Most Heartbreaking

Adolescence‘s fourth and final episode begins 13 months after the events of the first three and focuses entirely on the impact of Jamie’s continued incarceration on the Miller family. In particular, the episode tests Jamie’s father, Eddie Miller, who is played by Graham, and finds his work van defaced on the morning of his 50th birthday. Following what is revealed to be an ongoing debate about the family moving, the Millers subsequently drive to a nearby hardware store for cleaning supplies, but this trip only ultimately expands on the uncomfortable strain inflicted on the Millers since Jamie was arrested. The nail in the coffin for what’s left of the episode’s festive mood comes when Jamie finally calls his father, erasing any final hopes of his innocence when the murderer of Graham’s Netflix-topping series informs his family he intends to plead guilty.

The Millers return home under the heavy weight of this revelation, and in keeping with the long, continuous format of the series, Adolescence‘s final scene unfolds over the last 20 minutes of the episode. The strength of this sequence is a testament to how much Adolescence accomplishes through the strength of its dialogue alone, revolving primarily around Eddie and Jamie’s mother, Manda (Christine Tremarco), reflecting on their culpability as parents and remembering the loving boy they raised before he succumbed to the dark side of social media. The conversation hits so much deeper than any other moment in the series because it directly confronts the personal toll of Jamie’s crime on those who love him.

The final shot of the miniseries also depicts the bitter mourning that accompanies any parent’s attempt to gain closure from a case as devastating as Jamie’s. Eddie’s breakdown on his son’s childhood bed and tucking in of Jamie’s stuffed animal figuratively represent the father’s attempt to make peace with his son’s former innocence while simultaneously sobbing out his shame for the monster Jamie became. Adding to this moment’s emotion is the fact that Eddie’s final action wasn’t even the original plan for the scene, and Graham’s improvisation speaks to the raw, piercing sense of loss that caps off the conclusion to the veteran performer’s miniseries.

The Last Minutes of ‘Adolescence’ Begin To Break Its Cycle of Toxic Masculinity

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In addition to portraying the emotional damage that Jamie’s actions inflict on his relatives, Adolescence‘s final scene also expands on the series’ depiction of gender in a way that’s both gut-wrenching and surprisingly heartwarming. Prior to Eddie’s final conversation with Manda, Episode 4 of Adolescence illustrates how Eddie embodies some of the same toxic attributes that Jamie displays during his interview with Erin Doherty‘s Briony in Episode 3. Specifically, Eddie and Jamie share a similarly explosive temper, with Eddie immaturely blowing up at Manda throughout the episode as frustrations over his ruined van and birthday morning escalate. Eddie even displays a similar inclination towards violence when he catches the boys who spray-painted his work vehicle, illustrating how the man is unusually close to his breaking point even without experiencing Jamie’s same degree of teenage radicalization online.

Adolescence‘s final scene establishes that this anger is a cycle that stems from boys idolizing the mannerisms of unstable father figures. While Eddie’s admission that he wanted to do better with Jamie than his own abusive father did with him is a beautiful sentiment, Eddie’s anger throughout Episode 4 only strengthens Briony’s point from Episode 3 – the sins of the son are partially learned from the sins of the father. That said, the real beauty of watching Eddie in Adolescence‘s final scene is how his conversation with Manda essentially reverses the progression of Jamie’s interview with Briony. Unlike Jamie, who becomes angrier and more unstable when his lies are challenged, Eddie becomes vulnerable with his wife when she contradicts him and later even apologizes for his outbursts to her and their daughter (Amelie Pease). The character’s ability to acknowledge his faults and take responsibility for his actions subsequently contradicts the false toughness and superiority championed by toxic male voices throughout the acclaimed miniseries.

‘Adolescence’ Offers a Glimmer of Real Hope in Its Final Conversation

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While this final scene doesn’t give us any reason to believe Eddie’s problematic behavior is suddenly going to go away, it does leave the audience with the sense that Eddie will continue to improve in the future. What’s more, the fact that Eddie is the one who shows growth throughout Adolescence is an interesting subversion of typical narrative tropes surrounding cycles of generational trauma. The idea that the parent is the one to seek help rather than the child is not one typically depicted on screen, but this reversal also fits naturally within Adolescence‘s narrative. In Graham and Thorne’s series, it’s the adults who learn from the children’s mistakes. Just as Jamie’s murder forces Eddie to open himself up to his own grief, DI Bascombe’s (Ashley Walters) investigation into Adolescence‘s incel culture in Episode 2 likewise inspires him to be more affectionate with his own son.

Unfortunately, the hard lessons learned by Adolescence‘s fathers still don’t detract from the main reason the miniseries’ children develop such harmful behaviors – online indoctrination into normalized misogyny and male entitlement. At the end of the day, the Netflix series culminates in nothing less than a solemn ode to the loss of a generation, a sobbing lament delivered by Graham’s Eddie when he and Manda realize that Jamie’s lonely nights spent locked in his bedroom were more dangerous than they ever could have realized. Yet, for all the disillusioning misery brought to life by Adolescence, there remains that slim, exceedingly faint silver lining. Just as Eddie and DI Bascombe grow slowly in the miniseries, so too can real people affected by this insidious culture seek to fight for a society built on mutual empathy.